WYOMING — The sirens at 5:30 a.m. Tuesday broke the silence on quiet, upscale Sweetwater Drive.

Firefighters douse hot spots in a single-family home destroyed by flames early Tuesday. (Glenn Hartong photo) | ZOOM |

        “You never hear sirens (up here),” said Jim Jonson, who has lived on Sweetwater for more than 30 years.

        Two doors away, flames leaped from the roof of a large, brick ranch home. The fire destroyed the house.

        The homeowner, who purchased the seven-room property at 1263 Sweetwater for $312,000 in October, apparently was out of town. A pet cat died in the fire, but there were no other injuries.

        Wyoming officials on Tuesday afternoon said they were still trying to notify the homeowner, Elizabeth P. Wilson, according to Hamilton County property records.

        Investigators have not yet determined a cause, but Wyoming Fire Chief John Benken said it appears the blaze started in the basement near the furnace.

        “When we got here, the fire was already through the roof,” the chief said. “With as much fire as we had, we were concerned about houses on both sides.”

        But they were able to contain the blaze, which may have been burning for hours before it broke through the roof.

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